MOHAMMED AND CHARLEMAGNE

to 6e purchased in Provence with the revenues of his domains.1
Similarly, in 557 Pope Pclagius was expecting supplies from
Provence which were needed to relieve the distress of the Roman
people,2

There was also a normal trade in com, Despite his enormous
resources, we find that Gregory the Great made purchases of grain.

We find that in 537-538 a pcrtgrinns acceptor made important
purchases in Istria; he must have been a corn-merchant,3

Africa, under the Vandals, must have retained the prosperity
which was derived from the cultivation of cereals and the olive,
since it was still prosperous when the Byzantines returned to it
It docs not appear that the aspect of Gaul was in any way less
civilized. It seems that the culture of the vine was continued
wherever it existed in the time of the Romans, If \ve read Gregory
of Tours we do not by any means obtain the impression of a
country in a state of decadence; unless it had been prosperous the
landowners could hardly have been so wealthy*

The retention of the Roman libra affords indirect proof of the
stability of the economic situation*

As for the social classes, they were the same as before* The upper
class consisted of freemen (ingcntii),* and it included an aristocracy
of great landowners (senatom)*

The class of free citizens properly so-called probably consti-
tuted a minority,

1 GREGOHYTHE GREAT, Rcgittr*, III, 33> CdL EWAUMIAnTMANN, M.G.H, BPIST*,

vol. I, p* 191.

a Ibid., VI10, pp. 388-389,
a CASSIODORUS, Variw, XII, 22, M.G.H. ss, ATOQ,, vol. XII, p. 378.

4 We must not be tempted to underestimate the number of freemen, as
some have done. Their essential characteristic was that they iud to undertake
military service, C£ in the Leges Vitigotlwntmt IX, z> 9, M.r»,u, i&ciffi, vol. I,
ed. ZBUMER, p. 377, the law of Erviges, according; to which each freeman had
to bring to the army the tenth of his shvcs> VERUNUF.N, L'ftflwqgc duns k
monde Miqm tntdiAtal, in AWJARIO m HISTOJUA mi DURUM 10 rwANOi,, vol. XI,
I934-, PP* 353-355-

5 For the survival of the grctt families see, for example, the family of
the Syagrii, mentioned by A, coviitu in Recherclw wr thistoiw dc

V* $tide au IX* jttrfe, pp. 5 et seq.

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